Question: Why did Paul say that the Jewish believers in Antioch were playing the hypocrite? I tend to think that Paul uses this word because the actions of the Jewish believers were not in accord with the person of Jesus, the One they were claiming to have trust in.

Paul has spent Galations 1.13-2.10 recounting the story of His conversion and mission work… a sort of defense of the message he is proclaiming. The entire story serves to reiterate Galations 1.9-12: Read the rest of this entry

Luke 23.8 records Herod being very glad to see Jesus. Why? Because Herod wanted to see something spectacular, to see a sign and a wonder… in short, Herod wanted entertainment. I often wonder why I come to Jesus. Is it because i am captivated by the beauty, truth, and love of Yahweh made manifest in Jesus… or am I hoping to see some sign, some wonder… am I hoping to be entertained and pandered to by the Lord of Hosts?

The modern practice of Christianity has reduced a life of faith in the promises of Yahweh down to seven “truths” to achieve your greatest potential as a man/woman of God. Yesterday, I heard someone say on TV that “Your success is in God’s best interest because He has made you in his image, meaning that he has stamped His name on you. Therefore, God’s reputation is on the line in your success. By prospering you, God is being zealous for his name.”… or some [crap] like that. How is this any different than Herod? Are we looking for God to do something to make us happy in our own eyes? Read the rest of this entry

There once was a man who owed a very large debt. He had inherited it from his parents and then had added to the debt himself. No matter how much he tried, his payments were never enough to keep up with his account. It quickly became apparent that he could never have enough to pay off.

Before him lay a choice. On the one hand, he could continual try and pay off his debt, working hard and just hoping against all hope that someday it might just be enough. On the other hand, since this debt was so great anyways, he could choose to live in denial, pretend he was wealthy, and try to just enjoy life… hoping that the creditors never caught up with him. If the man was honest, both options had very little consolation to his soul. Read the rest of this entry

Sorry about the lack of activity from me. I have been having a few weeks of real wrestling with depression, loneliness, apathy, and just a bunch of general crud. Please pray for me… I don’t even know how to articulate what I am asking you to pray about. Good thing the Holy Ghost fills in the gaps.

I am coming to the renewed realization that I need grace in my life. The text for my Galations study this week has actual been pointing me to the only place that I can find Grace: the Son of man and God the Son, Jesus the Christ.

In these verses, Paul makes a case for grace not being an abstract concept that we believe in. Rather, we come to know grace (and thus the true and only good news) from the unveiling of who Jesus is (1.11-12). So, who is Jesus? Don’t give me some this-is-what-I’m- suppose-to-say answer that gets you a gold star in Sunday school… I want to know who we see Jesus as. If someone asked you to tell them about this Jesus fellow the Bible talks about, what would you tell them? When you say “Jesus died for my sins,” what person do you imagine hanging on the cross for your sake? Take this question and turn it any which way you can so that it makes you think about Jesus, how He has been revealed to you, and what that revelation means.